SMMT calls for security

The SMMT has called for government to secure a transitional Brexit deal to protect the future of the UK car industry.

The SMMT believes Britain is highly unlikely to reach a final agreement with the EU by the March 2019 deadline which it claims could lead to vehicle manufacturers facing a ‘cliff edge’, whereby tariff-free trade is withdrawn suddenly.

According to the BBC, the SMMT said any new relationship with the EU would need to address tariff and non-tariff barriers, regulatory and labour issues, ‘all of which will take time to negotiate’.